Investigating and Prosecuting the Proceeds of Crime: A Common Law Experience*

Criminals engage in money laundering to thwart investigation and make prosecution impossible. Their goal is to protect themselves and the proceeds of their criminal operations from the reach of courts and tax authorities. In this pursuit criminals have had the advantage. They have learned to manipulate and use financial systems and standard business practices to disguise the origin of capital. They have learned to use professional advisers and develop complex structures that make detection unlikely and the collection of evidence particularly onerous. They have learned to operate internationally to compound the difficulty of tracing proceeds of crime.